


Aperitivo Analyzed

by WarpSpeed



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: ? - Freeform, Analysis, Character Analysis, Dark Will Graham, Episode: s03e04 Aperitivo, Gen, M/M, Meta, More of an analysis of the cinematic stuff ? idek, Peer Gynt - Freeform, Scene Analysis, Think Piece, also, i fuckin love cinematography can you tell, why that scene is the most beautiful scene in all of Hannibal: because I said so ;), will and I are both emotionally stunted bisexuals i love him so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:22:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26240041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarpSpeed/pseuds/WarpSpeed
Summary: Why season three: episode four “Aperitivo” (8:32 - 10:18) of Hannibal is the best sequence of the whole show and my favorite scene out of any television show ever made.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Aperitivo Analyzed

**Author's Note:**

> one thought, head empty except it's only hannibal and that delicious cinnamon topography.  
> also sorry i don't have a link to the clip. i can't find it anywhere and don't have the capability of however one even downloads something off netflix. 
> 
> if someone has it and wants to share pls link it in the comments and i'll add it here!

NBC’s Hannibal is known for its very intense and dramatic style, tone, and attitude to the extent of polarizing the mainstream audience. I’d say that Hannibal’s style is more polarizing than the gore and cannibalism factors; who would’ve thought? The cast and crew are happily, wholly committed to being as insane and artistic as possible on cable television given the source material. 

The result is a visually beautiful, disturbing, and profound television show with a bonus love story between a cannibalistic serial killer psychiatrist and an FBI agent.

There is no point in the duration of Hannibal where the audience is thinking ‘ahh, this is totally sane and normal.’ That’s the point. That’s the fun. In its most important and striking moments, when you go looking for things to analyze, you’ll discover the levels of sophistication swirl deep enough to make your head hurt. And while many people were displeased with this idea (namely NBC after their easy-money cop procedural remake turned out to be a facade), a niche was carved out and people including myself fell into that cave and have yet to return even five years after the last season.

There are enough rabbits to chase for hours, but the epitome of Hannibal’s genius, beauty, and depth is displayed in a two minute scene with no dialogue in season three episode four “Aperitivo” from 8:32 - 10:18. 

Here’s some horrifically oversimplified context: Will Graham is the morally ambiguous protagonist and FBI agent with so much empathy he can understand psychopaths and murderers to an unhealthy point. He’s been close buddies with and a partner-patient of Hannibal Lecter for three years. 

Will discovers Hannibal is the serial killer he’s been hunting the whole time and is framed for said crimes by Hannibal. Will vows to get revenge, so he manipulates Hannibal into thinking he successfully influenced Will to murder and their relationship grows much closer. Hannibal finds out the truth at the end of season two, after planning to run away with Will and their surrogate daughter to Europe. 

Hannibal is heartbroken that the only person to ever truly understand him has purposefully betrayed him and kills the pair’s surrogate daughter and leaves Will for dead in the season two finale. He leaves for Europe without them.

Will subconsciously begins to realize that Hannibal understands him just as deeply, and that he can only be himself when they’re together, but there’s no going back. 

It’s too late to reverse what he’s done. 

His feelings for Hannibal are never expressed verbally and are only ever suggested through scenes like the one from “Aperitivo.” Playing in the suggestive further strengthens the relationship between viewer and show as the viewer is forced to read deeper into every choice and is rewarded when something finally, finally makes sense.

“Aperitivo” takes place at least eight months after the finale, while Will is healing from his wound.

The scene starts as Will opens his eyes in a fantasy replacing the night he was gutted: if Will hadn’t double crossed Hannibal, this is what would’ve happened. He’s sitting at Hannibal’s dinner table next to Jack, their boss and friend. The soundtrack here - The Death of Åse from Peer Gynt, though mournful and sad and aching is at its most casual point. But the slow pull of string instruments keys us into the fact that something big is about to happen. The music is hiding behind a veil of normalcy just as all three of them are. 

Jack believes Will is there on his side. Hannibal believes Will is with him.

As Hannibal rounds the corner into the room dressed as pristinely as always only a little happier looking, amused, there is no stain of hatred for Hannibal left on this fantasy despite Hannibal's gruesome acts. 

Will understands why he did it and he’s forgiven him (as we see him admit later on). 

Hannibal sits across from him now. The same musical phrase has been repeated just as slowly and softly. It surrounds this dinner scene in a sense of familiarity. We, Will, have jumped right back into everyday life with Hannibal again with no problem, the opposite actually: he feels protective and content beneath the storm clouds of regret, regret, regret.

A work of editing then doubles the shot of Will so there are two: the copy of Will looks over at Jack while the original never takes his eyes off Hannibal. At this point in the show we’ve seen Will work with Jack for two seasons, so when we see the copy look at Jack it’s clear: this is the Will that worked behind Hannibal’s back, the one we’ve seen superficially for the past season. 

The copy fades to black and the original, still staring, fades back in. A shot of Hannibal looking directly at the camera: us, Will. In the pause between the stroke of strings: a moment of held breath, a wide shot of all three men. Jack staring at us, ignorant; Hannibal and Will staring at each other before the high strings and original percussion lay in on top of the melody. At this moment we focus on Jack’s shocked face as the two lunge to hold him down. Hannibal slits his throat. Will acknowledges Jack’s feelings of betrayal, looks him in the eyes as he dies: he doesn’t care.

Fading again, the screen is filled with a striking contrast of bright white-blue flashes and wisps of smoke. A macro slow motion shot of sparks and light flicker and burn out. The camera follows a single spark and its tail like a comet zig zagging downward. Zoom out: Will is welding and mending parts on his boat engine. 

The low strings drop out as the high strings take over to emphasize the tragedy of reality versus his fantasy. The next shots are intercut with snippets where Will is gutted. Will’s face is absent from the flashbacks: he’s focused on Hannibal alone. Hannibal letting Will slip on his blood and crumple to the floor, Hannibal leaning down and crying as he regards Will after the stabbing. The low instruments return to cement the regret and misery as the scene ends with Will alone in his shed, the ground outside covered in snow.

Further down the rabbit hole we go. The most important part of this scene is the soundtrack: Peer Gynt. Literally, Peer is mourning the death of his mother Åse here while Will is mourning the death of what could have been his rebirth, his new life. Just as well, Peer leaves on a boat after Åse dies to start a new life away from having to learn or know himself. Will is fixing the motor to his boat, which he uses to sail to Europe and find Hannibal.

Peer constantly avoids thinking about who he is, and he runs away from visions that force him to deal with his past actions and mistakes (represented by the old woman and her child). Will’s path is switched with Peer Gynt’s in this way. From the start of the show, Will has had to avoid delving deeper into his disturbing side in order to maintain his already vulnerable position on the fringes of society. 

He never gets the opportunity to know himself accurately because it would put his job and life in jeopardy, and thus when he bonds with Hannibal over dark and evil, it’s a chance to finally turn his skill for understanding inwards. After spending so long denying who he really is: which is never specifically depicted until the series finale, he desires to know himself and be himself like he was when he was baiting Hannibal.

In Will’s own words, “I’ve never known myself as well as I know myself when I’m with him.”

The Death of Åse is a moment of rest and sadness before a life-changing event for both Peer Gynt and Will. A stop in the road to look back and reflect on what could have been before jumping full force into seeing some version of that through. 

Altogether, watching this clip in the context of the other two seasons takes your breath away. Alone, it’s a beautiful and shocking scene that utilizes a perfect selection of music to underline all the key takeaways.

**Author's Note:**

> this scene makes me FEEL THINGS like wow this scene. this scene. this SCENE. anyway this was meant to be for a school project but it's far too "oh shit i just exposed myself to people i don't know" for me so obviously the better choice is to post it on the internet right? :)
> 
> let me know if there's some glaring mistakes, i can't look at this thing any longer


End file.
